Hello loves! So something happened to me the other day while I was out shopping that upset me, and I wanted to kind of rant/write to talk to you about it. The other day I was out running one errands, going to the hardware store. I didn’t look my best, but I also didn’t look awful. I was wearing a crewneck and nike shorts with a little bit of makeup, so still presentable. I saw that a local boutique, in which I’d shop before, was having a sale so I decided to stop in and have a look. I walked into the store to absolutely no greeting from any of the 6 workers in the small shop, or question as to what I was looking for or if I needed any help. A woman at least 20 years older than me walked in a few moments later and 3 of the girls working immediately went to aid her in her shopping. I looked at some of the full priced fall items and didn’t see anything I liked so I moved to the sale section. Still no one approached me, if anything they dodged me. I found a dress in the sale I liked and wanted to try it on. I walked over to the area of the dressing room, and stood there waiting to be served. 4 of the girls were talking at the check out counter that was about 10 feet from where I was standing and continued to talk until I walked up to the counter, and still continued to jabber until I said “excuse me, I’d like to try this on” to which one of them stopped their conversation to say, “go right ahead, the dressing room is over there.” At this point I was extremely upset by the way I was being treated. I knew it was a higher end boutique, because I’d purchased a few special occasion dresses before from there, but that didn’t mean they could treat me differently. I had enough money from working this summer to buy a multitude of things from their store if I had wanted to. I tried on the dress, decided I didn’t like it and left. None of the workers reached out to me before I left or on my way out.
The reason I’m telling you this story is not to sulk in the fact that I was treated badly, but honestly as a note of encouragement and empowerment. I’m sure women, and men, sadly get treated like this all the time in stores they “don’t look like they belong in.” But that doesn’t mean you have to take it. You can do one of three things if you are ever treated poorly by the staff: The first response being, simply walk out. If they don’t have time for you, you don’t have to make time for them. They shouldn’t have your business, especially if it is a higher end store, if they don’t treat you with respect. The second response kind of goes off of that one in that after you leave, or after you’ve finished your shopping at that store, write this manager or store owner a letter about how you were treated and how rude their employees were. Hopefully a letter from a very dissatisfied customer will help them change their policy in the future. Lastly, one of the best in their face responses is to go in, find whatever you were specifically looking for on your own, and check out. If they ask if you received any help from anyone, be honest, tell them that no one helped you and you were a bit disappointed about that. Showing them that you are still in control of your purchases and your day is the ultimate wake up call for them.
I really just wanted to share this with you all to make sure that you are never treated the way I was in this particular instance, and that if you are you don’t succumb to anyone’s disrespectful behavior and get what you want out of the situation. Another quick tip, is if you expect this might happen in a store, bring a friend or family member along for moral support. You should never need moral support while simply out shopping for something, but sadly there are a handful of brands and shops that are still rude to cliental that doesn’t fit their perfect business mode. Be strong and be brave in your shopping endeavors, and have a fabulous day!
xoxo,
The Blonde Brunette
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the blonde brunette 
